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By Moses Ajao
As an Ijesa man, it pained me when I read my kinsmen shamelessly and desperately trying to cover up their shady past by attacking a Governor doing his best to clean up their mess. Omowaiye is particularly the worst breed because his records at the State Ministry of Works stinks to high heaven.
When I read his interview, I actually got angry and decided to answer him as a citizen who is satisfied with the Governor’s performance in the last one year. But before then, I urge the state government to release the terrible corruption-ridden records of Omowaiye when he served as a commissioner. Why is Governor Adeleke allowing those who should be answering cases in court to be fouling the air?
He called Adeleke the worst governor. I asked myself how is he the worst Governor? Is it because he constructed 90 kilometres of roads in one year? Or that he created free health surgeries with over 50,000 beneficiaries? Or because he enrolled all pensioners? Or because under one year, he completely rehabilitated 32 schools and completed 31 water projects? Or his phased payment of inherited half salary debt pension debt?
He said the Governor failed to keep his election promises and I wonder what promises? The contributory pensioners publicly announced that Oyetola paid only two months’ arrears under four years while Adeleke paid five months under one year. Is that not an outstanding performance?
On half debt and pension debt, Adeleke with those affected agreed on phased payment as the total owed was almost N100 billion. The schedule has been paid for the four quarters. Is that not fulfilling the promise to workers and pensioners? There was never a time Adeleke pledged to clear salary and pension debt within a year. It was a lie cooked up by APC.
On security, Omowaiye thinks Osun people have forgotten the Oyetola’s Asiri Eniba team, and how thugs are publicly recognised at state functions under the former Governor. Such no longer exists and security agencies are working closely now.
Omowaiye lied by saying Osun has gotten N100 billion in under a year. Osun did not get such an amount. The facts are on the federal allocation papers that are available in public space. The good performance of Adeleke was not about resources available to the present administration but prudence, blocking of leakages, non-tolerance of corruption and belt-tightening.
On palliative, Omowaiye assumed the Osun people did not remember how the Oyetola government hoarded palliatives until people attacked the warehouses. For Adeleke, he distributed the rice at the national level and approved wage awards for workers and pensioners. He repaired old buses abandoned by Oyetola for four years and placed orders for new buses to ease the transport burden of the people. What has he done wrong in that area?
Omowaiye ignorantly and mischievously parroted the lies of N 2 billion allegedly spent on entertainment by Governor Adeleke. If Omowaiye is truly educated, he would know that the Governor’s office comprises several agencies and bodies including government side operations. No two billion naira was spent by Mr Governor on entertainment. Records released by the Budget Ministry clarified all the issues.
On the issue of health centre renovation, I hope when the white paper on the contract awarded under Oyetola is released, Omowaiye will hide his head in shame. Osun suffered deep neglect of her health sector. Governor Adeleke is working round the clock to revive the sector.
On infrastructure, Osun suffered an infra deficit of close to 90 percent when Adeleke took over. A statewide infra upgrade was launched. As a second phase, a multi-billion naira infra was launched which included flyovers and road dualisation among others. The Osun government is complying with all technical and procurement requirements. The Osogbo dualisation has started without delay. Is Omowaiye bitter that Adeleke is delivering with such speed and efficiency?
The former Commissioner was asked what Oyetola achieved in under one year, he was rambling all through. The fact is that Oyetola commissioned a maternity centre at Osogbo for a year anniversary. The shameful fact is there. What a massive failure compared to Adeleke with so many to show in just one year.
One annoying area is when he disputed that there is no tech agenda in Osun. He referred to the Assembly junction where the project was flagged off. Let us educate Omowaiye that chord laying in multiple colours is ongoing across Osun. He will see those coloured chords across major roads. But Omowaiye is not an illiterate. He should know that under Oyetola, Osun has a state ICT policy. Adeleke has given Osun an ICT policy, a tech innovation policy and a start-up bill. Osun is running a digital economy agenda.
And on and on, he rambled without any substance. My admonition to Omowaiye is to hide his head in shame because he appeared to be uninformed or maliciously blind to the great progress the state is already recording. We won’t go back to the dark ages of failed leadership. Osun is moving on a path of sustainable development.
I want to urge the state government to release the white paper on contracts and projects. Osun will see and read the evil people who governed them like Omoiwaiye. The records of the Ministry of Works are most shocking. Mr Omowaiye will have his full. Those wrecked the state should not be lying against those clearing the mess.
● Moses Ajao, a member of Osun Democrats for Democracy, writes from Ilesa.
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